Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. I refer to the pulp and paper industry strategy group which he announced last week, and I ask: how much is that group going to cost the taxpayer between now and November or whenever it reports? I also ask the minister, who has said that there is a balance to be sought between environmental concerns and economic activity by the pulp and paper industry: who are the environmentalists on this wall-to-wall industry group of lobbyists being facilitated by the government to draw up a lobbying plan for the government to get their hands on taxpayers’ money or taxpayer funded facilitation of the industry?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Brown for his question. On Friday, 19 June I announced a review of the Australian pulp and paper manufacturing industry. The review will develop a long-term industry wide strategy for achieving a world-class sustainable pulp and paper industry. I have established a pulp and paper industry strategy group to undertake the review, including senior representatives from industry, unions, the CSIRO and all levels of government. The industry strategy group will develop a roadmap for the sustainable future of the pulp and paper industry and report back to me by November. An issues paper is currently being developed and will be made available publicly at the end of July.

The future of the Burnie and Wesley Vale mills is currently under consideration by Tas Paper, or PaperlinX, and I understand a decision may be made by the end of June. While the government are concerned at any prospective job losses, we will not pre-empt Tas Paper’s strategy review of the mills nor the strategy industry group’s long-term review.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I thank the minister but—more than halfway through the time allocated—the question was: how much will the pulp and paper industry strategy group cost taxpayers and who are the environmentalists on that group?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr, you have 41 seconds remaining to answer the question.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The industry group will, as I have indicated to the Senate, be tasked with developing an industry-wide strategy for achieving a world-class, sustainable pulp and paper industry. We are concerned about the maintenance of jobs, we are concerned about the maintenance of the industrial capability of this nation, and we are concerned—

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. For the third time I ask the minister, through you, Mr President, to answer the question: how much will this strategy group cost and who are the environmentalists on it, seeing that the minister himself has said that it is to achieve a balance between the environment and industry?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr, you have 16 seconds remaining to address the question that has been asked by Senator Bob Brown.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brown, you know full well the members of the industry strategy group, because the list was published on Friday. Our concern is for the protection of jobs. Our concern is to protect the welfare of the Australian people. Senator, I trust you will join me in that effort. (Time expired)

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The minister says in his press release that his concern is to get the balance right between environmental costs and economic activity, and I ask him: is one of the environmentalists Mr John Gay, the Managing Director of Gunns Limited, who is on the record as saying that there are too many protected species and he thinks that more ring-tailed possums and wombats, for example, should die to facilitate his business? How much will members of the strategy group be paid by the government? If they are not being paid, how much is it expected that the costs of their facilitation to arrange this lobby to government to get taxpayer funding will be? What is the expected cost that the minister has assessed here?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The costs associated with the activities of individual members of the strategy group will be based on Remuneration Tribunal advice. As to the fees for pre-meetings and preparation and the actual cost time of meetings, the Rem Tribunal rate is $597 per day, excluding GST. The other costs associated with the operation of the group for individual members are the direct travel costs, accommodation—where that is required—and meal costs.

As to the role of Gunns in this particular industry group: Senator, I do not share your hostility towards the operations of Gunns in the industry. They are the largest single contributor in terms of investment in the industry. It is appropriate that we consult with the— (Time expired)

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Gunns are the single largest destroyer of forests and wildlife, including endangered species, in Australia. I ask the minister: what facilitation has he or the government or Australia’s international outreach through embassies given to Gunns in any way in its search for an investment partner for the Gunns pulp mill? If the minister cannot answer that, could he come back to the Senate with a considered answer?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With regard to the pulp mill in Tasmania, the government has indicated that it will follow all of the appropriate procedural guidelines for the assessment. The pulp mill has been given approval to operate and it is now going through other measures that Minister Garrett currently has before him. As to the matters to do with the search for finance on an international basis, I am not aware of any support that the government has provided in that regard. If there is anything further that the Minister for Trade has to offer in that regard, I will come back to Senator Brown.